140 year old street gets new lease on life

One of the oldest streets in the City of Greater Geraldton is about to undergo a facelift as the City prepares to resurface Durlacher Street between Waldeck and Queen Streets.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said Durlacher Street has come a long way since it was built in the 1800s.

“Back in the latter part of the 19th century, Durlacher Street was the original link between Marine Terrace and the old Greenough Road,” he said.

“It wasn’t until 1881 that the Geraldton Roads Board first ‘macadamised’ the road (the application of rolled, crushed stone which is sealed with stone dust) and later around the turn of the century, planted the Norfolk Pines along both sides of the street that we still see today.

“Since then, the installation of underground utilities in the road, the root systems of the Norfolk pines and ongoing pavement repairs have taken their toll on one of the busiest roads in the City.”

To ensure this major road renewal project doesn’t impact the wellbeing of the Norfolk pines an arborist will be on hand to manage the trees’ root systems during the works.

Resurfacing of Durlacher Street, which will take place during the night to keep disruptions to a minimum, is scheduled to begin on Monday 14 January 2018 and will take approximately five nights to complete. The road will be closed in sections with exception for local residents with traffic management in place to ensure community safety. Please use alternative routes during this time.

The project, which also includes drainage improvements and the installation of new kerbing, is part of the City’s 2018/19 Roads Renewal Program in which $3.9 million has been allocated for the resurfacing of 12473m of urban roads.

PICTURE CAPTION: Old Greenough Road leading out of town in the early 1900s in the vicinity of current day Carson Terrace.

We would like to respectfully acknowledge the Southern Yamatji Peoples who are the Traditional Owners and First People of these lands. The Nhanhagardi, Wilunyu, Amangu. I would like to pay my respect to the Elders past, present and future for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of the Southern Yamatji Peoples.